Emilia is certainly one of the most exciting wine-growing regions you can drink your way through in Italy at the moment. For some years now, dozens of winegrowers have been proving that a region that has increasingly lost its identity in the stranglehold of the global Lambrusco industry can reposition itself through individual resistance. Apart from the fact that there are now a good two dozen winegrowers who are giving Lambrusco back its dignity, it is above all the reinterpretation of old varieties and traditions that are contributing to the region's renaissance. 

Alberto & Giovanni Masini belong, if you like, to the classic avant-garde of Emilia. They have been opposing since 1993, the year they took over the winery from their father. Since then, they have also vinified their grapes themselves to produce wines that leave no room for compromise.

Among walnut trees 

Ca' de Noci is built in the middle of nowhere, 25 kilometres south of Reggio Emilia, where the Apennines slowly fade into the Po Valley. Walnut trees at the entrance point to the etymological origin of the winery. Behind the house, the first of a total of five hectares of vineyards opens up, planted with old Spergola vines, a little-known white grape variety that only grows in the hills between Modena and Reggio Emilia. ‘Spergola,’ says Alberto, ‘has a natural acidity that makes it ideal for sparkling wines.’

The two brothers press two versions from it, the vital, fresh and purist Querciole, which makes any Prosecco look old. And the Riserva dei Fratelli, a monumental sparkling wine that combines structure, strength and fruit after four years of ageing in the bottle and shows what can be done with Spergola. Incidentally, both sparkling wines are left in contact with the skins for a long time during the first fermentation, which, although not necessarily in keeping with local tradition, is of fundamental importance in the brothers' wine concept. On the one hand, the two are pragmatically concerned with keeping their wines stable without the influence of chemicals. Tannins play an essential role in this. The other aspect is of a sensory nature: tannins not only protect the wine, they also structure it, give it backbone and substance. In addition, flavours are released from the grape skins, which, if you give the wines a little time (and they do), become noticeable in a variety of ways. Alberto & Giovanni have shortened the maceration time in recent years in order to emphasise the lightness and liveliness of their wines.

And what else? 

Thanks to a warm microclimate, the harvest starts and ends extremely early every year. It generally starts at the end of August and finishes in mid-September. 15 friends make sure that everything is harvested by midday every day, as it gets too hot afterwards. The grapes are harvested in 10-kilo crates, then crushed, macerated and fermented spontaneously. The temperature is not regulated, although it is always a stable 15°C in the cellar, which also benefits the fermentation. Depending on the intention, the wines end up in different containers, with steel, cement and wood to choose from. That's it, time does the rest. 

In addition to the two interpretations of Spergola, Ca' de Noci also produces Sottobosco, a red sparkling wine that is not officially labelled as Lambrusco but is made in exactly the same spirit. It is based on two varieties of Lambrusco, Grasparossa and Montericco, with Malbo Gentile and Sgavetta, two other grape varieties that only exist in the local area. The first fermentation takes place in steel or cement, while the second fermentation - unlike what we are used to in the region - takes place in the bottle. Other serious differences to the usual Lambrusco varieties are the low yield per hectare (4,000 instead of 20,000 kilos), the meticulous hand-picking, the absence of any additives - in short, the intention not to produce some shabby cheap product for German pizzerias and supermarket chains from their grapes, but a wine that combines drinkability and liveliness with depth and character. No residual sugar concessions are made.